


Breath on Glass

by inkrush81



Series: Crystalized [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: #no1caresjohn, Alternate Universe - Space, Government Agencies, Interrogation, M/M, Mycroft Holmes' POV, Other, Torture, brief Watson narration at the beginning, he's a pissy baby, interrogate is a euphemism, jim and mycroft reach an /understanding/
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 04:03:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5853361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkrush81/pseuds/inkrush81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When John finds out exactly who Sherlock’s been seeing, he goes to Mycroft to ask why he hasn’t interfered. But the elder Holmes has his reasons. </p>
<p>Or rather, what happened in this ‘verse when Mycroft abducted Moriarty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breath on Glass

**Author's Note:**

> The flashbacks in this work take place immediately after the events of "Shelter."
> 
> Content warning: torture, government kidnappings, mentions of murder, mentions of terrorism, abelist slurs... you know what these characters do

**The Watson’s Ship**   
John had been under the impression Sherlock was living alone in the 221c for economic reasons. At least, this was what Sherlock had allowed John to believe whenever they had their increasingly rare video chats. In the months leading up to he and Mary’s wedding, John had more than suspected that Sherlock was dating someone. Though he was certain the detective would not call it that and it probably wouldn’t even really be _that_. But it was still quite a shock for the doctor, when he was confronted with exactly who Sherlock was spending his time with: Moriarty.

It wasn’t enough that Sherlock decided to spring it on him after what was likely years of keeping the affair a secret. But what made him really angry, was the consultants decided to tell him when Mary was standing right there, on their anniversary holiday no less. Or perhaps, what annoyed him about the whole mess was that after they left, Mary said she wanted to see them again soon. But what she really meant was that she wanted to see _Jim_ again soon. Despite John’s exclamations that the man was a manipulative criminal who killed people for money, she insisted he was simply delightful and she would ring them for tea when they concluded their holiday. It was a disaster.

The doctor knew that when Sherlock and Moriarty had their minds on something, little could change their course. It was almost foolish to try, he remembered the pool, the near annihilation, and he could see it now. There was nothing in their future but destruction and not just of themselves; there would be collateral damage. Something had to be done. Even though the doctor knows he’s sat complacent throughout the consultants’ torrid affair, John goes to Mycroft, the only person who could even possibly stand in their way.

**The Diogenes Club**  
It was a few days after John and Mary’s one year anniversary, that the doctor came to see the elder Holmes. To Mycroft’s mild surprise, John had found out about his brother and Moriarty. The doctor had come to Mycroft to complain (as he rightfully knew trying to talk Sherlock out of this himself would lead no where). 

He’s too angry to tell Mycroft exactly how he found out, but the elder Holmes had a feeling Sherlock’s mischievous nature had been fanned by Moriarty. He has to chuckle, imagining the hour of them going on a double date. James would charm Mary (and be reasonably impressed with her) and Sherlock and John would sit in awkward, betrayed silence. The noise throws the doctor briefly off his rampage.

“So, you knew Sherlock and that maniac were-” his infuriated words grinding to a halt as he broke off suddenly trying to find a term that would properly describe their relationship, and finally settling, much too awkwardly, on “-involved _romantically_?”

Mycroft’s dead look tells all. 

“You knew!” the doctor accuses, before mumbling under his breath that: _of course, Mycroft would be in on it._ As if Sherlock and James being together were some sort of galactic conspiracy.

John is right. At least about Mycroft knowing about their relationship since they started circling each other with purpose. Contrary to Sherlock’s belief that the elder Holmes is out to ruin his life, Mycroft’s intention is the opposite. Despite John’s hope, he won’t interfere now. He hasn’t in some time. James made sure of that. It was, after all, the criminal who reached out to him first. An interesting move, the elder Holmes would admit. When he had his people pick Moriarty up, Mycroft should have been interrogating him about the various threats he posed to the Federation, but really he just wanted to find out exactly how deep this obsession with his brother ran.

-

**He thinks back to those six weeks he kept James Moriarty in the bowels of the Federation’s Baskerville Complex. Mycroft had absconded with him under the departmental pretense of interrogation for terrorist affiliations. But the criminal, sitting in the dark; dirty and bruised as Mycroft watched blow after blow, was silent. Always silent. It was unnerving. The hardened Federation interrogators, who had seen everything from pleading and begging to broken stoicism to outright screams of agony, hadn’t known what to do with him. He wouldn’t make a sound even when they exacted their more creative methods of extracting information and that perturbed them.**

**Of course, the interrogators hadn’t wanted to be there, but after a week Moriarty’s silence was a challenge and they couldn’t let it pass. Mycroft, who watched all the people that interacted with the criminal on base closely, saw the effect their lack of progress with Moriarty had on their morale. The interrogators started taking bets at who and when and how they could reach the consulting criminal’s breaking point. As the days wore on more and more of them gossiped and speculated. Maybe he just had a high tolerance for pain or maybe he had just that much control, but the interrogators’ consensus seemed to land on: the information he had was worth his life and he’d rather die than give it up. _Something big was about to happen in the Correlatary sector,_ the base’s inhabitants began to hum. (Mycroft knew better.) Regardless, the possibility that there were Federation lives in imminent danger only meant they pushed him harder.**

**The elder Holmes knew they exchanged methods and strategies over meals in the mess hall. And it was only Mycroft’s glare that kept the off-duty ones from joining him behind the mirrored window to watch the progression of Moriarty’s interrogation. After all the terrible things they’d been forced to do to this man and, with his resistance and his preternatural silence, they’d been forced to do even more; they didn’t want to miss the moment when the criminal broke, imagining it to be something glorious and, for all their trouble, something that they deserved to see.**

**But that breaking point wasn’t coming. Mycroft had only needed to sit behind that glass a day before it was quite obvious that they weren’t going to get anything out of him. However, the elder Holmes had a history of refusing to deal with prisoners himself. So he still had to wait the appropriate amount of time, before it would be necessary for _him_ to interview Moriarty, without appearing too eager and raising suspicion. He wondered if James knew this and waited. **

**It was the middle of the second week (before things had gotten truly nasty) when Mycroft stepped into Moriarty’s cell.**

**Their talks began simple. Introductions (and threats) were skipped. Moriarty was gratified that the elder Holmes understood the scope of his operation and they didn’t need to talk about Mycroft’s puppeteering of the Federation. That was not what they were there for.**

**Sherlock.**

**Moriarty spoke first.**

**“I’m not sure what you have to gain by keeping me here,” Moriarty began all pretense, as if he thought they weren’t alone. The elder Holmes shook his head, indicating he had made sure that no one else would be privy to the conversations they might hold in that cell.**

**“The coordinates of your agents, surely. Though, as I’m certain you’ll agree, it’s more about what you have to gain here than I.”**

**“Fine, I’ll give you my agents on Sabine.” Moriarty neatly evaded the latter sentence (Mycroft let it slide. He planned on keeping James there long enough to find out what he was really getting out of this).  
 “Not enough.”**

**“The entire sector, then.”**

**“In exchange for?” Mycroft countered, because there _was_ a catch.**

**“Tell me about your brother.”**

**And Mycroft sat back, as if he hadn’t at least expected this turn.**

**These, of course, were not all of the criminal’s cards, but at least they were getting somewhere. Abducting Moriarty had always been more of a fact finding mission than an interrogation. The criminal could be charming. Manipulative and charming, a combination the elder Holmes certainly could rival (when, or rather _if_ he wanted to). It had become an exceedingly rare occurrence to come across an individual who’s challenge Mycroft enjoyed. He got drunk on it. (He certainly understood his younger brother’s attraction to the criminal. James’ presence was intoxicating.) They danced around why Moriarty brought them here. Mycroft didn’t actually ask him what his intentions were with his brother, but that concern was implicit from the first question he posed to the criminal. It was only natural. Mycroft cared very deeply for his younger brother and Moriarty’s motives were murky and the elder Holmes worries.**

**It was in the third week that Sherlock started acting odd.**

-

John’s rant proved to be less about brainstorming ideas for breaking them up and more about condemning the elder Holmes for not stopping them. He presented his argument as if Mycroft hadn’t considered the ramifications of their arrangement before. As if Mycroft hadn’t thought it all through. As if he hadn’t met Jim Moriarty. John ends with asking the elder Holmes, since he had _known_ , why he hadn’t done anything to stop them?

Mycroft was disinclined to be reprimanded by John. Despite being a doctor, John had no idea what was good for the detective. Okay, that was hyperbolical but the implication remained. In Sherlock’s physical health, of course. His social well-being, certainly; but when it came to the detective’s mind, what Sherlock after all considered to be his true being, John understood next to nothing. Mycroft would never stoop to say as much out right. He considers making some veiled insult, but John was already getting huffy at his silence, with his hands righteously purchased on hips, frowning expressively. 

Mycroft continued to watch him. After a few more seconds John deflates, explaining with grave concern which was tinged with betrayal (the elder Holmes supposed Moriarty _had_ strapped him up with Semtex), that he can see there’s a draw between them but he thought it was too much of a risk to be allowed to continue. Who was to say they wouldn’t kill each other? Or anyone else for that matter, OH WAIT- 

John was right, people had already died because of the consultants’ ‘romance’, but Mycroft had a different perspective on the affair. As anyone would guess, the elder Holmes had a file on James Moriarty. At a surface glance, it painted a similar picture to the doctor’s. Yes, he was a criminal. Yes, he had people killed (the file read that Carl Powers was the earliest of said victims, the latest listed were the unfortunate tenants of the ships Moriarty blew up in his game with the detective. Presumably, the criminal had been active the last two years, though the file hadn’t been updated, maybe because no other cases had been traced to him or maybe Mycroft had ‘lost’ the file). But he was not a killer (and why did everyone always get hung up on that aspect of his operation, as if he were a pimp assassin). Moriarty was a meddler. He was also a scholar, an explorer, and inventor; but primarily, he was a trouble-maker.

This whole business of death, was an activity he engaged mostly to connect with Sherlock Holmes. It was not James’ natural predilection to kill off galaxy after galaxy. Orchestrating these crimes was a way of passing the time in an entertaining manner; a way he knew the younger Holmes would love. (And, it must be remembered that all the while, he was helping people. Mycroft could count on his fingers the number of crimes Moriarty had committed of his own motivation, which was very telling indeed.)

The fact of the matter was the puzzles Moriarty created where for Sherlock. And though there were many hands aiding their fruition, demanding his genius, ultimately they were because of the detective. Okay, maybe, James Moriarty liked to cause trouble for the hell of it. But trouble is what Sherlock thrived on. Mycroft made a judgement call all those years ago that Moriarty would be better for his brother than cocaine and he still doesn’t regret it.

-

**Moriarty’s stay in Baskerville was going on three weeks when Mycroft got a call from John. He wanted to know if there was something going on that he should know about. The detective was twitchy with exacerbated boredom. He was tearing the ship apart and insulting every person who chanced their luck to talk to him. John ended with he hadn’t taken a case in two weeks.**

**Though he’d like to, Mycroft doesn’t dare visit. Sherlock would be able to pick off the fact that the elder Holmes was keeping something interesting from him in a matter of seconds and if Mycroft didn’t tell him willingly, the detective would go rooting through his business until he found it himself. John wanted to know if he’d missed something, but the thing was Sherlock didn’t get ‘twitchy’ for just anything. If it were anything other than boredom, the detective would go cold. Mycroft had seen it too many times. No, this would be the lack of interesting stimuli that set his brother on edge.**

**Except, they had seen prospective clients, John said. Sherlock just hadn’t taken any for- well, now that he thought about it again, it was probably more like two and a half weeks. So none of the cases were worth his time and he was bored. Boredom at lack of _good crime_. At the absence of _Moriarty_? The elder Holmes developed a hypothesis, could the criminal’s absence have such an effect on the detective? Keeping James then becomes an experiment.**

**Mycroft increased surveillance on the detective. The younger Holmes behaved as if he were drowning. It’s week five before Sherlock was sneaking out on the doctor to smoke and it would only be a matter of time before he searched for something harder.**

**It became evident the more time that passed in an universe of Moriarty-less crime, Sherlock went from antsy to whirling on the edge of a catastrophic binge, the likes of which he hadn’t been tempted to in years. Mycroft’s curiosity was well piqued. The elder Holmes thought to ask again why Moriarty would elect to be locked up in here, but then Mycroft realized he already knew why. He didn’t need James to tell him (not like he would anyway, as the criminal was thoroughly enjoying their charade).  
**

-

John eventually stops, having burned himself out. Mycroft content to let his silence speak for him, thinks about fixing himself a drink, until John finally sighs: 

“I just want him to be safe. _How_ can he be safe with _him_?”

The elder Holmes could hardly blame John for his ignorance concerning Moriarty’s intent with Sherlock. Neither of the consultants ever talked about whatever was between them and James had a less than illustrious reputation that often preceded him (well, only if you knew his last name). It wasn’t a matter of public record that Moriarty cared more about Sherlock than any other thing, person, or prize in the universe. Nor was it something he could expect John to ever get, apparently neither had Sherlock, given that he had waited all these years to tell the doctor.

-

**Mycroft would have to release James soon. Sherlock was spinning too rapidly near the edge. Despite, what the elder Holmes speculated the criminal could do for his brother, Mycroft couldn’t help but wonder if Moriarty didn’t, in fact deserve someone who was not quite so obstinate. Moriarty seemed to know what the elder Holmes was thinking though, because he stated prelude to nothing:**

**“That’s sweet of you but.”**

**The elder Holmes didn’t fully understand James’ attraction to his younger brother. Of course, Mycroft cared too much for Sherlock, but he had always allocated that over-investment to the fact they were family. Moriarty had no such ties and if anything he was even more devoted to the detective. Slight detail. His brother had them all ensnared and was completely oblivious. Sad really, but there was nothing to be done about it.**

**“He thinks he’s immortal, you know,” Mycroft began in warning, the comment not coming out as biting as he had meant it to.**

**“You certainly contributed to that notion,” Moriarty pointed out easily.**

**“I’ve done what I can to keep him alive.”**

**“So I’ve noticed,” James’ mild humor traced the edges of his words.**

**But apparently Mycroft had a point because he kept pushing. “He won’t stop.”**

**“Oh, and you think I can?” James was suddenly sardonic. The elder Holmes took a breath, carefully watching the man across from him, unwilling to change the topic, but it was so easy to forget how similar the criminal was to Sherlock when he kept changing masks like he did. Moriarty leaned forward. “Did you really think this was going to end another way?”**

**Mycroft swallowed and said, “Not really, no.” He readjusted himself in the uncomfortable metal chair, and gave an oddly humor-filled smile. “One does try, though.”**

**During the years they had known each other, Mycroft had thought Watson was the answer. But sitting across from James Moriarty he knew he’d been wrong. Watson had only challenged Sherlock in ways he rebelled against the most. If Moriarty was afforded the chance, he’d slip in unnoticed. Sherlock had always tried when it came to James. The criminal just wanted to be closer to the detective and the elder Holmes couldn’t begrudge him the tendency; it was one he had himself. The difference was that James had a chance of succeeding, possibly. If Sherlock decided to stop being a prat.**

-

“Yes,” Mycroft says simply, as if that’s all there was to it.

But instead of looking relieved, the doctor looks even more frustrated. The elder Holmes could see that John wouldn’t take his word for it and that he wanted whatever proof Mycroft was holding which clearly made him so sure. But Mycroft had wasted enough of his day listening to the doctor’s complaints.

He doesn’t owe John an explanation. Nor is he inclined to give one. 

The doctor thought he came to the elder Holmes to try and get him to break the consultants apart. But if John knew anything of Sherlock, and Mycroft knew he did, he’d know that was impossible without the detective’s own volition. So the doctor really had come to Mycroft to point fingers. As if the consultants’ romance was somehow the elder Holmes’ fault and Mycroft should have done something to stop it from happening. (Apparently, John did not know the elder Holmes as well as he thought.) John just needed someone to blame for, what was in his eyes, a disaster. As he saw Sherlock as corrupted and not in his right state of mind, or worse as an unwitting victim, that culpability landed surely in the elder Holmes’ lap (Moriarty’s too, but it wasn’t like John was going to yell at _him_ ). Mycroft was thoroughly unimpressed. 

-

**The Federation had an _unspoken_ rule: they kept prisoners under interrogation and in holding until they gave up the information they had regarding whatever threat they were detained for. Mycroft had considered keeping Jim until he was willing to trade some more information concerning his operation. But then he got a call from John. Sherlock had gone missing. The doctor thought he might have gone on a binger. He already checked all his usual haunts. He had Lestrade shaking down all the detective’s former drug connections, but they genuinely didn’t know where he went and John was worried. **

**Mycroft rolled his eyes (if Sherlock wanted to disappear for a time, there was nothing John or anyone else could do about it. There was no use looking for him, if he didn’t want to be found). But Mycroft had not expected the criminal to have such an affect on his younger brother. However, the evidence was clear and Jim Moriarty had made his point.**

**Mycroft went in that day and Moriarty seemed to already know what happened. Even after all their talking, the elder Holmes looked at the criminal with guarded suspicion.**

**“Let me guess, you can’t find him either?” Moriarty stated preamble of nothing. He was droll, but not gloating.**

**Mycroft would be lying if he said he hadn’t tried, but the search wasn’t nearly as extensive as it could have been. The elder Holmes mostly wanted to see what Moriarty would do with the idea that he might be the cause of Sherlock’s binger. He suddenly wondered if they were in league all along, Sherlock and Moriarty. He didn’t ask if the criminal knew where he was, instead:**

**“...he doesn’t want to be found.”**

**Then Moriarty quelled his suspicion by running his hand over his face, as if exhausted, and it lingered over his mouth in consideration. When he looked back to the elder Holmes, James spoke slowly:**

**“I think we understand each other.”**

**Mycroft nodded, sitting back. “It seems we do.”**

**The consulting criminal might be the most brilliant threat posed to the Federation, but without him his brother would fade away in a fog of drugs. Letting James go might have been considered a gamble, after all there was nothing to say Moriarty wouldn’t attack the Federation one day just because he was bored (and there was that business in Correlatary, his colleagues murmured). But the elder Holmes was certain that Moriarty would not make an offense against the Federation. Attacking the empire would imply he cared about it one way or the other, which was laughable because all James really wanted was Sherlock.**

**Of course, there were things that Moriarty had not told him. Aspects of his relationship with Sherlock that had already begun, things that were just their’s to share. That was fine, Mycroft thought, better perhaps than nothing and no one at all even if the elder Holmes could not be a part of it. Perhaps his reasoning was riddled with flaws because letting Moriarty go was essentially saying he trusted the criminal. Not only that he had been telling the truth, but also that he would not destroy his brother. It reminded Mycroft of a game of chance but he would bet his kingdom (and oh he _was_ ) for his brother’s happiness.**

**It wasn’t merely that Moriarty was obsessed with Sherlock. Sherlock was obsessed with Moriarty too. They depended on each other.**

**That realization was Moriarty’s true aim with this rouse.**

**Mycroft let him go.**

-

The doctor looks betrayed when it’s clear Mycroft is deigning to elaborate. John was never going to be allowed to look at all the pieces and the elder Holmes knew that frustrated him, but it was the simplicity of his company that Sherlock had been drawn to in the first place (and Mycroft still held a childish resentment towards the doctor that his brother had let John in for _that_ ). 

John’s weariness at the elder Holmes’ nonplussed attitude gives way to anger again, when he grasps what it will mean that Mycroft wasn’t on his side. He says something about how the elder Holmes would regret not stepping between them when the consultants’ game of Chicken ended in an inevitable crash and he huffs out of the club.

Mycroft rolls his eyes, knowing that destruction had been coming anyway and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, but more importantly knowing it wasn’t his to prevent.

-

**It’s four hours later, when he got a text from a redacted number.**

**_Talk you soon. -JM_ **

**That, Mycroft decided, he would enjoy too much.**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what worked for you (or what didn't - hey)!


End file.
